DataMind Oda reaches your company's data through the Minds of your DataMind OS. The Mind chip, in the bar at the bottom of the message box, shows which Mind Oda asks, and lets you pick another one. Pointing at it shows Asking: and the Mind's name, and the line under the chat's title in the pane header names it too, such as DataMind OS · Sales. See Oda in Excel for the pane itself.
Pick the Mind that answers
Click the Mind chip at the bottom of the message box. It shows the current choice: a Mind's name, or Auto. The list opens above it, with the search box at the top.
Pick the Mind Oda should ask, or pick Auto (Oda picks the Mind for each question) to let Oda choose the right Mind for each question.
The list shows Auto first, then each Mind with its description under its name; the current choice carries a tick. The bottom of the list reads Minds come from DataMind OS, with the number of Minds you can use.
Search the Mind list
Type in Search Minds… to narrow the list. The search matches Mind names and ignores letter case.
Press Enter to pick the first match, or click a Mind in the list. The arrow keys move through the list, and Enter picks the Mind you are on.
Picking a Mind closes the list and clears the search. Escape closes the list without changing the Mind.
If nothing matches, the list shows No Mind matches.
The list shows at most 50 Minds at once; type in Search Minds… to find the rest.
How your choice is kept
Your choice is kept in the workbook, so each workbook keeps its own, and the pane uses it again when it loads with that workbook. A Mind you pick right after opening the pane is written to the file with your next message, and a later pick at once. Until that message, nothing is written, and closing the pane without sending one leaves the earlier choice in the file.
Changing the chip changes who Oda asks from then on.
While the chip names a Mind, every step on company data uses that Mind: reading its tables,
searching its knowledge, previewing a query and writing query results into the workbook. When a
task needs another Mind, Oda asks you to change the chip.
A refresh of pulled data runs on the Mind the data came from, whichever Mind the chip shows.
When a workbook has no choice yet, or the Mind you picked is no longer available, the chip starts on the first Mind in the list.
The chip appears only when you can use more than one Mind. With a single Mind, Oda always asks it and the chip stays hidden.
While Oda is answering, the chip is disabled; change the Mind after the run finishes. See Chats and history in Excel.
If the pane cannot load your Minds when it starts, the chip stays hidden; Oda can still look up your Minds when a question needs one.
Who can use Minds from Excel
Asking Minds needs the Use DataMind Oda and Use Minds from DataMind Oda permissions. View Minds, which opens the Minds area of DataMind OS, is not needed.
The list holds the Minds your roles can reach in DataMind OS. Builder Minds, such as the Warehouse and Lake builders, are never offered.
Without Use Minds from DataMind Oda, the chip stays hidden and Oda works with the workbook only. Ask your administrator; see Manage DataMind Oda for your company.
Where the answer came from
A step that asks a Mind shows a DataMind OS card in Oda's reply, with the Mind's name and your question, and, once the Mind answers, the rows, columns and time of its result and the names of the queries it ran, each with Show the SQL; see See the SQL behind an answer. Under the finished answer, Sources lists the Minds Oda asked or pulled from, each with its query or the sheet it filled. See How a reply shows Oda's work.
Questions, answered
How do I choose the Mind Oda asks?
Click the Mind chip at the bottom of the message box and pick a Mind from the list, or Auto. The chip always shows the current choice.
Do I need to pick a Mind before asking?
No. The chip already shows a choice: the one you made earlier in this workbook, or else the first Mind in the list. You can type your question right away, or pick Auto to let Oda choose the right Mind for each question.
Why can't I see the Mind chip?
The chip appears only when you can use more than one Mind. With a single Mind, Oda always asks it and the chip stays hidden; the pane header still names that Mind. The chip is also hidden when your account lacks Use Minds from DataMind Oda, or when the pane could not load your Minds as it started.
Should I leave the Mind on Auto?
Auto lets Oda choose the right Mind for each question and say which Mind it asked. To have one Mind answer your questions in this workbook, pick that Mind from the list.
Does the pane remember the Mind I pick?
Yes. Your choice is kept in the workbook, and the pane uses it again when it loads with that workbook. A Mind you pick right after opening the pane is kept once you send a message; if you close the pane without sending one, the earlier choice stays.
Does my choice apply to other workbooks?
No. The choice is kept in the workbook you are in, so each workbook keeps its own.
Can I change the Mind while Oda is answering?
No. The chip is disabled while a run is in progress; change the Mind after the run finishes.
How do I find a particular Mind?
Open the chip and type in Search Minds…. The search matches Mind names and ignores letter case. Press Enter to pick the first match, and Escape to close the list without changing the Mind. Each Mind's description shows under its name.
Why is a Mind missing from the list?
The list shows at most 50 Minds at once; type in Search Minds… to find the rest. It holds only the Minds your roles can reach, and builder Minds are never offered. If you cannot use any Minds at all, ask your administrator.
Do I need View Minds to ask Minds from Excel?
No. Use DataMind Oda and Use Minds from DataMind Oda are enough. View Minds opens the Minds area of DataMind OS and is not needed for Oda.
What happens if the Mind I picked is no longer available?
The chip starts on the first Mind in the list instead.